The announcement on 08 January 2008 that the McCanns planned to sanction a film based on Madeleine's disappearance caused instant uproar and revulsion.

Such was the backlash that Gerry was forced to write a rare blog in a vain attempt to try and reverse the tide of public opinion. He now insisted that they were not considering a film but a documentary, along the lines of those already produced by the BBC, Channel 4 and Sky News. However, first reports of the project clearly indicate that it was a film or TV drama that was planned.

GMTV stated in its report on 08 January 2008 that the project had initially been discussed in mid-December. At that meeting, comprising Clarence Mitchell, a representative of the McCanns and an unidentified person from the film agency IMG, they apparently discussed the possibility of a film or TV drama based around Madeleine's disappearance.

We need to clarify here that IMG is the world's largest entertainment agency. It is not the world's largest documentary agency. They are in the business of producing entertainment and if the McCanns wanted a boots and braces documentary, as they now insist, then surely IMG was not the right agency for them and the project should have been dismissed out of hand.

The Daily Mail reports that: 'If the deal goes ahead with IMG, it would involve the same team which made Touching The Void, the award-winning drama-documentary about two British mountaineers' fight for survival in the Peruvian Andes. It interspersed interviews with the mountaineers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, with a dramatic reconstruction of events, using actors.'

Although Touching the Void is a wonderful film, it must be remembered that it is drama-documentary. Drama comes first because the first aim of the movie is to entertain the public. Would Touching the Void have been so engrossing if it had been based around one of the mountaineers' discussing their fight for survival by means of a flip-chart?

So, we can conclude that any 'movie' from IMG, no doubt sensitively handled, would be an entertainment vehicle - not an attempt to produce a serious and factually accurate review of Madeleine's disappearance.

By 09 January 2008, Team McCann, and their staunch allies in the media, were now steadfastly referring to the project as a 'documentary'. The belief being, obviously, that people will accept a serious documentary but not a lights-down, popcorn munching piece of entertainment.

But was this all a smokescreen? Clarence Mitchell, from his days in the media, would know all about burying bad news. So, was there any bad news that needed to be buried at this time? After all, we must question why the story broke on that particular day.

In actual fact, it wouldn't be the first time that Clarence Mitchell had buried some bad news for the McCanns.

esther McIn the immediate aftermath of the infamous Spanish interview, where Kate allegedly showed 'real emotion', and the following day when the artist's impression of the 'abductor' was released, a little piece of news went unreported in the English press. But it was very significant.

The McCanns, through Mr Mitchell, admitted that the shutter to the window of their holiday apartment had not been forced. Here was an extremely significantvey piece of news, going contrary to the sensational stories the McCanns spread themselves through friends and relatives at the time, that got buried under the furore over whether Kate shed tears or not.

"There was no evidence of a break-in," said Mr Mitchell to RTE's Prime Time and reported in the Irish Independent on 25 October 2007.

So, what can we see buried beneath this 'movie' story? Two very crucial things that are very bad news for the McCanns.

Firstly, reports had allegedly confirmed that blood samples recovered from the McCanns' apartment in PDL, and their Renault Scenic hire car, were definitely from Madeleine and secondly, that Esther McVey, and another member of the board of Madeleine's Fund, had resigned.

On Esther McVey's resignation, Clarence Mitchell later provided a statement claiming that the split was amicable and that Ms McVey needed time to concentrate on other projects. Unfortunately, and perhaps a little surprisingly - given the high profile of the case, Esther McVey has, so far, failed to issue any statement.================================================================================

Esther McVey is climbing the ladder of success in Politics, she resigned because at a Directors Meeting it was agreed that the Fund would not be used for Mortgage repayments and she read a statement on T.V....but the other Directors overturned this later.

I knew Ben Affleck had as a nice gesture postponed distribution of his Film ....this is probably where Gerry got the idea to make one about Madeleine , how could he be thinking to far ahead.?? From Day 1, they treated the Fund like their own personal piggy bank. The Accounts to 31/3/2013 last filing date 31/12/13 have still not been filed.BTW

fred wrote:I remember that and Clarries bungled attempt at trying to play it down!

Something about it being lots of fun to speculate on cast lists.

It was around the same time as James Nesbitt was playing a character like Dr Jekyll in a BBC drama, and a bloody chilling performance it was too. It didn't take the good people of the 3As very long to come up with a cast list of their own - James Nesbitt and Rebecca De Mornay (from The Hand That Rocks The Cradle), and Graham Norton wearing a pink shirt got the third major part. Judy Scheindlin was suggested for the Judge when it eventually came to trial!

ETA it was also around that time that they got the release of Gone Baby, Gone postponed in the UK. I saw the film and couldn't see why! The only similarities were that the child actress was called Madeleine something, and her mother left her alone to go score some crack in a bar.... no, wait a wee minute....

Didn't the little girl come from a poor family,,hardly the case with the McCanns. Also, I think it would be obvious that if the McCanns died in an accident say, the Grandparents would care for the children , and if the McCanns were imprisoned so I don't really understand why the McCanns agreedto this.